Sermon 125A

SERMON 125/A

Tractate of Saint Augustine from the Chapter of the Gospel
About the sick man lying by the pool. On the Sabbath day.

The day of the Sabbath.

It is often asked how it is written in the book of law that is called Genesis, where the beginning of the holy Scriptures is, why God completed all His works on the sixth day, and on the seventh day, that is, the Sabbath day, He rested from all His works, while His Son says, through whom all things were made: "My Father works until now, and I work." For in saying this He rebuked the Jews, who were accusing Him, because on the Sabbath day He had said to a man: "Rise, take up your bed, and walk"; for the Jews were not permitted to carry burdens on the Sabbath. So then, what does this mean? Is the Son contrary to the Word of the Father, when He Himself is the Word of the Father? We must therefore understand, so that we do not remain like the Jews; for they so carnally accepted the Sabbath that they thought God was inactive from that Sabbath day. Or if they did not think this, perhaps they believed that He was working in His creation for six days, and resting and being inactive on the Sabbath, and like children rejoicing in a holiday. Thus, this question is resolved, because it is true that God fulfilled and completed His works by creating creatures in six days, and rested on the Sabbath, not from administering His creatures, but from creating them. For this vast world mass, that is the heaven and the earth and all that is in them, if they were not ruled by Him, would fall. However, He governs the world without labor, not as that man bore his bed. And if it is rightly understood, God both rests and acts at the same time; for anyone who acts without labor also rests in the very act itself. If you ask me whether God is inactive, would we live if He were inactive? Again, if you ask me whether God has rest, I will answer you: And what is it that He would give to us if He Himself does not have it? Therefore, I will answer: He both has rest, and works even now. This you cannot do; but He is God, which you are not. Therefore, the time had already come when the shadows would pass away, and the day would breathe, as it is written in the Song of Songs: "Until the day breathes, and the shadows flee away."

Christ removes shadows.

When therefore the Lord Jesus commanded the sick man, whom He had made well, to take up his bed, He was removing the old shadows. Now therefore the time had come when what the Apostle says would happen: "Therefore let no one judge you in food and drink, or regarding a festival, or a new moon, or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come." Therefore, those Jewish observances commanded by God were shadows of things to come; and Christ Himself, who was the future, coming, began to make present; what was expected, had arrived; what was signified, was seen. Therefore, let not the shadows hinder, let them be removed, let us see the light. Where? In Christ. For this reason, He says: "In Your light we shall see light"; and: "To those who sat in the shadow of death, a light has arisen." The man is healed, and you accuse about the bed? He commanded the sick man to carry the wood, who was about to be hung on the wood for him. Foolish impiety of the Jews! Whom you saw lying down, you see walking; and you accuse him of carrying? He who gave the health to the walking, gave the strength to the carrying. Be a Christian, O Jew, and understand the sabbath; as long as you are a Jew, you can observe the sabbath, but you cannot understand it. Unless you pass over to the truth, you cannot have what you celebrate.

We have the law in our hearts.

What is it that I said: You cannot have what you celebrate? For you can celebrate rest through the sabbath's reprieve; but unless you pass over to Christ, you cannot attain eternal rest; you will remain in the shadow, without light. Pass over therefore to Christ, that the veil may be removed. For the Apostle says this: To this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts; which is not unveiled, because it is abolished in Christ. The veil, not Moses, is abolished; the veil, not the law. Observe how the Lord has come and the veil is abolished; when He hung on the tree, the veil was torn. O great mystery! O ineffable sacrament! The transgressors of the law crucified the author of the law, and the secrets of the law were revealed. Was not that cross a key? It held the Lord, and unlocked what was closed. But the Jews, even with the veil torn, have their face covered: But we, says the Apostle, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord. They could have had the law on stone; oh, if they had it in their heart, they would be with us. But we, brothers, let us have the law in our hearts; not by praises of the word, but by good works let us show it. Alms must be given, it is time; let your fruits be seen; let me rejoice in my labors. You cannot say to the weak one: Rise up and walk; you can say: While you arise, lie down and eat. You cannot heal the sick, you can clothe the naked. Do what you can; God does not require of you what you cannot do.

Tobias, although blind, still saw.

You have heard what holy Tobis advised his son Tobias about showing mercy: As is your substance, son, so you should act; if you have much, do much; if little, share from that little. The widow, who brought two small coins, how little she had! And the Lord saw her. Indeed, if they neglected her because she brought no more than two small coins, they could see the heart of the wise woman who gave. Who gave more to God's gifts than the one who left nothing for herself? Tobit did not advise his son: From what you have, he said, share; he did not say: Give everything. Do what Tobit advised. Many have done so; they left all their possessions, gave everything to the poor, and kept nothing for themselves. Do we think nothing? And where is God? For what does a poor person lack if he has God? Or what does a rich person have if he does not have God? Therefore, do this and marvel at the words of Scripture. A blind father spoke to a seeing son, advising him to give alms; among other things, he said: For alms deliver from death. This is not surprising; even if a blind man spoke to a seeing one, yet a living one spoke to a living one. What follows is surprising. For when he had spoken of alms: They deliver from death, he added, and do not permit to go into darkness. O father, you always gave alms; why then did you come to this darkness of blindness? Therefore, the son could say this to his father; but he knew what he was saying, and he understood what he heard. There are other darknesses into which alms do not allow those who love to give them to enter. What are those darknesses? About which the Lord Himself says: Bind his hands and feet and cast him into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. These are called outer darkness. Why? Because they are outside of God; whoever comes to them and enters them, goes far from God. Finally, the evil servant is sent into the outer darkness; but to the good one, He says: Enter into the joy of your Lord. It is evil to go out to the darkness; it is good to enter into the light, where there are no darknesses at all, neither of the heart nor of the flesh.

We worship God, and God worships us.

There was therefore in that Tobias blindness of the flesh, but great light of the heart. The son held the father's hand so that he would not stumble over a place, the father showed the way of life to the son so that he would not stumble over God. The son held the hand; the father showed the way, where it is truly dangerous to stumble. In what light was he, when he said these things? Surely his eyes were closed, and yet he said: Son, give alms; alms deliver from death. Did he who said this see nothing? Rather he saw, not black and white, but just and unjust; he discerned not colors, but morals. Blessed is the son who listened to the blind seeing one, blind in the flesh, seeing in the heart! His blindness indeed passes, God healed him, he received his eyes; but even if he had not received his eyes in this flesh, were not those eyes someday destined to be closed in death? For all the saints, when they depart from here, come to the light; light of this sun is worthless to those who see God. The father exhorted his discerning son, and reminded him about alms; he said much about alms, he almost only admonished his dearest and only son this. How much power there is in them, how much virtue! What is given, and what is received? What is expended, and what is bought? Is it not said to us: Did your fathers buy the kingdom of heaven with alms? And they bought it, and left it for us to be bought. Let all buy, let all possess; no one will suffer want; we shall be the possession of God, God will be our possession. For we worship God, and God worships us. But what I said: We worship God, everyone accepts; what I said: God worships us, perhaps some are offended. Do we worship him, and not he us? It is good for us that he worships us; for unless he cultivates this field, it will be filled with thorns. Who is the farmer, if not the one who cultivates the field? Listen therefore to the Lord Christ, and do not be alarmed when it is said to you, God worships you: I am the vine, he says, you are the branches, and my Father is the farmer. Therefore we worship God so that we may have fruit, and he worships us; both are done for our fruit. For we are made fertile and fruitful from being barren; we, dry and thirsty, are filled by him; the fountain does not know how to dry up. Therefore, all is done for us. Let us give thanks to him who created us, and called us to reign with him.